Spring wear clip for use on pin cups of automatic pin setting machines



INVENTORS DAVl D BERDAN THOMAS ROMANO, JR. m h

AN ETAL FOR USE ON PIN CUPS IC PIN SETTING MACHINES ed Aug. 23, 1962 THEIR ATTORNEYS D. BERD SPRING WEAR CLIP OF AUTOMAT Fil Oct. 15, 1963 United States Patent 3,107,093 SPRING WEAR CLIP FOR USE ON PIN CUPS 0F AU'IQMATIC PIN SETTING MACHINES David Berdan, Freehold, and Thomas Romano, Jr.,

Farmingdale, N..l., assignors to Buck Engineering Company, Inc., Freehold, N..I., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Aug. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 219,032 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-42) This invention relates to improvements in automatic pin-setting machines for bowling alleys and more particularly to wear clips for use with the pin cups of automatic pin setters.

One type of bowling pin cup commonly used in automatic pin setters is a sleeve-like member having an open side and a constricted lower end. During pin setting, the bowling pins drop into the cups and are retained temporarily therein by engagement with the side and constricted lower end of the cup. Due to impact and sliding of the pins in the cup, wear occurs badly at the junction of the edges of the cup and the lower constricted end, thereby changing the cup dimensions and causing the pins to be improperly positioned so that the pin setting machine drops the pins allowing them to fall or to be spotted inaccurately.

When excessive wear causes mail-functioning of the pin setter, the cups of the machine are customarily replaced. Inasmuch as the individual cups are expensive and require considerable expenditure of time of skilled servicing personnel maintenance of a pin setter is costly.

The present invention provides relatively simple and inexpensive wear elements which may be readily applied to worn bowling pin cups to restore them to their original dimensions.

More particularly, in accordance with the invention, the wear elements may take the form of small inserts of suitable shape and form to enable them to be attached readily to and detached from the cups of the pin-setter and having elements thereon which project from the inserts to restore the cups to their original dimensions.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bowling pin in a cup of a pin-setting machine with two clips embodying the invention attached to the cup;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of one form of clip embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the clip shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view of the clip shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the clip shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of clip embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of another form of clip embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of another form of clip embodying the present invention; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of still another form of clip embodying the present invention.

The invention will be as described with reference to one form of cup commonly used in automatic pin-setters for receiving the pins and spotting them on the bowling alley. As shown in FIG. 1, cup 10 is a sleeve-like member having an open side 11 defined by spaced apart edges 12 and 13 extending lengthwise of the cup. Attaching lugs 14 and 15 are provided at the upper end of the cup and a guide notch 16 is formed therein for positioning the neck of the bowling pin P. The lower end of the cup is 3,107,093 Patented Oct 15, 1963 "ice constricted and has inwardly inclined corners 17 and 18 at the junctions of the edges 12 and 13 with an inwardly inclined or constricted lower end portion 19 of the cup. The position of the corners 17 and 18 and their relation to the cup and the bowling pin is important in assuring the proper handling of the pins and accurately spotting or setting them on the bowling alley. Inasmuch as the cups 10 are usually aluminum castings, wear occurs due to impact and sliding of the bowling pins relative to the cup. In time, the corner portions 17 and 18 become worn or otherwise deformed. Heretofore, such worn cups had to be replaced completely with new cups.

In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that wear and deformation of the cups can be obviated by means of suitable inserts or wear clips which can be readily attached to the cups at points of the wear, thereby to restore the cups to their original dimensions.

FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5 illustrate one form of wear clip or insert embodying the present invention. A typical clip 20 is formed of steel or other similar material and includes a generally triangular body portion 21 having at opposite corners reversely bent tab portions forming resilient gripping members 22 and 23 thereon in right angular relation for engaging the cup on opposite sides of the corners 17 and 18 thereof to hold the triangular body portion 21 inside the cup. Further as an aid to positioning the pins, a shallow dome 24 is formed adjacent one corner of the body 21 between the gripping elements 22 and 23 thereon in a position to engage the pin P and to seat it properly in the cup. Inasmuch as the clips 20 are symmetrical they can be applied to either the corner 17 or the corner 18 without alteration of the clip. While it is convenient to merely form a dome 24 by stamping it during manufacture of the clip 20, other types of positioning elements may be formed or attached to the clip. For example, the clip 25 shown in FIG. 6 is similar to the clip 20 with the exception that it is provided with a dome-like button 26 of rivet-like form composed of metal, hard plastic, hard rubber or the like.

Another further type of positioning element is shown in FIG. 7. In this form of the invention, the body 27 of the clip is provided with a tab 28 which is bent over into parallel relationship with the body portion 29 of the clip. If desired, the extension 28 may be bent to double or triple thickness and disposed in face to face engagement with the body 29.

In the clip shown in FIG. 8, the body 30 of the clip 31 may be provided with one or more ribs 32 forming the positioning element and extending perpendicular or obliquely to one of the edges of the body portion 39.

Another form of locating element is illustrated in FIG. 9 in which the body 33 of the clip 34 is provided with a ribbed button 35 formed of rubber, plastic or the like and set on to the body portion and in inclined relation to the surface of the body portion 33 in a position to engage a bowling pin P substantially tangentially.

Many other forms of positioning elements may be used on the clip and positioned so that they engage and support the pin in the cup in the same relation to the cup as it would assume in an unworn or new cup.

By merely positioning the clips on to the corners 17 and 18 0f the cup after the corner and other portions of the cup have become worn and deformed, a quick repair is made which allows the cup to be used without replacement for a long period of time. When the cup again becomes worn or the clip becomes deformed or worn, the cup can be restored to usefulness by replacing the old and worn clips with new clips.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the new clips are of substantially economic value in the servicing and maintenance of pin-setting machines. Inasmuch as the clips are Susceptible to considerable modifications as indicated herein and various changes thereof may be made without departing from the invention, it will be understood that the exemplary clips are illustrative and the invention should not be considered as limited save as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. A replaceable member for a cup on a pin setting machine for a bowling alley, comprising a substantially triangular plate, resilient gripping means on angularly related edges of said plate for engaging and attaching said plate to a cup, and a dome-like member projecting from said plate near a corner thereof for engaging and locating a pin in the cup.

2. A replaceable member for a cup on a pin setting machine for a bowling alley, comprising a substantially triangular plate, resilient gripping means on angularly related edges of said plate for engaging and attaching said plate to a cup, and at least one rib on said plate near a corner thereof for engaging and locating a pin in the cup.

3 A replaceable member for a cup on a pin setting ma vi triangular plate, resilient gripping means on angularly related edges of said plate for engaging and attaching said plate to a cup, and a dome-like insert in said plate near a corner thereof for engaging and locating a pin in the cup.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,020,916 Lanier Mar. 19, 1912 2,379,148 Halek June 26, 1945 2,462,543 Palmer Feb. 22, 1949 2,607,972 Rust Aug. 26,1952 2,709,107 Hoffman May 24, 1955 

1. A REPLACEABLE MEMBER FOR A CUP ON A PIN SETTING MACHINE FOR A BOWLING ALLEY, COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR PLATE, RESILIENT GRIPPING MEANS ON ANGULARLY RELATED EDGES OF SAID PLATE FOR ENGAGING AND ATTACHING SAID 